


Rosebuds

by Minuky_K



Category: RWBY
Genre: Alternate Universe - Normal High School, Multi, WINGING IT
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-01-06
Updated: 2020-02-01
Packaged: 2021-02-27 15:02:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,245
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22149130
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Minuky_K/pseuds/Minuky_K
Summary: Ruby Rose is a sophomore at Beacon High School, Home of the Wolves. She has her whole life planned out: Finish High School at the top of her class, go to a really good college, become a botanist, and living her best life. Getting a boyfriend wasn't really on the top of her checklist for success, it was more like an optional step.That was until she signed up to be a math tutor, and Oscar Pine stumbled into her life.Literally.
Relationships: Blake Belladonna/Yang Xiao Long, Jaune Arc/Pyrrha Nikos, Lie Ren/Nora Valkyrie, Oscar Pine/Ruby Rose
Comments: 12
Kudos: 87





	1. Germination

It was a lovely fall morning in the Xiao Long household. The rising sun streamed in through the windows, its light gently warming the house. And best of all, it was completely qui-

“YANG! TIME TO GET UP FOR SCHOOL! I DON’T WANNA BE LATE!”

Ruby Rose burst into her sister’s bedroom, rushing over to the lump of blankets that is her sister. She shook it a few times, managing to get a very groggy groan out of it.

“Oh come ON Yang it’s only 6:30! Don’t be such a baby!”

Yang sat up, rubbing at her eyes as she glared at Ruby. 

“Ruby, no sane teenager is up before 11 voluntarily. Why are you even up so early? School doesn’t start for hours.”

Ruby scoffed. “Yang, have I not gotten up impossibly early for every single first day of school ever? I don’t see why this year would be any different.”

“Ah yes, forgive me,” said Yang, yawning midway through, flopping back down on her bed, ”I thought maybe you were going to be a little normal this year.”

Ruby stuck her tongue out at Yang. “Why are you laying back down? I’m Ready!”

Yang lifted her hand, flopping it around half-heartedly. “Cool Rubes and I am going to get my extra hour and half of beauty rest before I have to return to the hell hole that is high school.”

“Wha- but then how am I gonna get to school early?”

“Take the bus, or get a ride with dad.” Yang flopped over onto her side, her back facing her sister, and within minutes, her snoring resumed.

Ruby huffed, stalking back to her room and throwing herself in her desk chair. She should have known better than to rely on YANG to get her to school early. She never got up early.

Sighing, she looked at the planner sitting on her desk. It was opened at the current month, with the words “First Day of Sophomore Year!” written on the current date with a few little doodles of stars and sparkles around it. It might seem weird to others how excited Ruby was to be going back to school, but to be fair, Ruby was more than a little weird.

Her eyes drifted from her planner to the other items littered around her desk. Her laptop, decorated with various stickers, her custom headphones, her red desk lamp. She finally settled on the framed picture of her family. Yang was about five in the picture, her blonde self smiling while proudly holding Ruby, who was a very chubby toddler. Behind Yang was their father, smiling down at his two daughters. To his left was their uncle Qrow, his ever-present smirk upon his face. Really, he is Yang’s uncle, but after Raven left Taiyang with a newborn Yang, he stuck around to help as much as he could. He was really good with the girls, and Ruby took a lot after him, style-wise.

And there, to the right of her father, was her mom. Summer Rose. She was kneeling down, a soft smile on her face as she looked at her daughters. Her silver eyes shone even in this old photo, and you could almost feel the warmth she exuded just by looking at it. 

Ruby could barely remember her mom. She remembered holding her hand as they walked through the public gardens, the smell of chocolate chip cookies as she was held up to peer into the over, and the soft melody of a half-forgotten lullabies as she was put to sleep. 

Snapping out of her train of thought, Ruby checked her phone for the time. She sighed, grabbing her bag and quickly placing her laptop and planner in it. She looked around her room once more, and then exited her room. 

As she headed to the dining room/kitchen area, Ruby was greeted with the sight of her father, looking a little disheveled, half-dressed in his work clothes, half pajamas. “Oh hey, morning kiddo.” He yawned, sipping coffee from his mug. 

“Morning dad. Are you almost ready? I couldn’t get Yang to get out of bed. She told me to take the bus.” She made a face of disgust, slipping her bag into an empty chair, then getting her breakfast of cereal together. 

Her dad chuckled. “I’m shocked you even got her awake enough to tell you that. You know how Yang is.” He put his mug down. “Don’t worry, I can take you today. Let me just finish getting ready.”

“Okay Dad. I’ll go say hi to mom after I finish eating, and then we can take off.” 

Taiyang froze for a moment, then softened. “Alright kiddo. Just let me know when you’re ready.” He gave Ruby a forced smile, then shuffled off to his room. 

Ruby always visited her mom on the first day of school. It was a nice way to start off the year - a quick hello, a little talking about her hopes for what the year could hold, and a promise to visit after the school day was over to talk about how the day went.

Placing her now finished bowl of cereal in the sink, Ruby headed for the back door, exiting into the garden. She headed into the heart of the garden, where a stone plaque sat. Upon reaching it, Ruby sat next to it, sighing. “Morning mom.” Ruby looked at the engraving on the plaque, rereading it. Summer Rose: A Friend, A Wife, A Mother. Thus Kindly I Scatter.

“So, it’s the first day of my sophomore year. Crazy how time flies huh. Feels like only yesterday, I was going into kinder for the first time. I got this year all planned out! Like all my other years. I’m gonna become a tutor, then ace all my classes, join some clubs, you know, all that good stuff.” Ruby shifted a little. “I really miss you mom. Dad too.” 

She sat there in silence for a little, listening to the birds’ chirp. “Well, Dad should be ready by now. I better get going. I’ll tell you all about my day after dinner. Wish me luck.” 

Ruby put a hand on the plaque, then got up, heading back into the house. She cast one more glance at her mother’s plaque, then reentered the house. 

Slamming the car door shut, Ruby turned to face her school building. The building was newer, having been renovated in recent years thanks to some very charitable donations from parents. It was a more modern build, looking very sleek. She adjusted her backpack, falling in step with her father as they headed into the building together. 

“So Dad,” she started, “Are you excited for the new year?” 

“As excited as I can be having to teach Freshman Biology. But what can you do?”

Ruby joking punched her dad’s arm. “Hey, I was a freshman last year!”

“Perfect example.”

“Hey!” 

The pair continued their casual banter, splitting up at the main stairwell. Ruby waved her father goodbye, then headed to the wall where every student’s first-period class was listed. She saw a few familiar faces, waving as a greeting, then went to try and find her name. 

“Rose, Rose, Rose… ah there. My first class is...Math! Cool! I can work with that!” She made note of the classroom, quickly checking the time before heading towards the library.

“Ruby!” Turning to see who called her name, Ruby saw a tall boy with a mess of blonde hair and dark blue eyes waving as he walked towards her. Following him was a girl with bright red hair pulled back into an elegant ponytail and striking green eyes, a big smile on her face. 

“Jaune! Pyrrha! Hey guys!” Ruby greeted her friends warmly, giving each of them a hug. “So what are you guys doing here early? I know Weiss is probably here, and I expect Pyrrha, but Jaune?”

Jaune chuckled awkwardly, scratching the back of his head. “Well you see, I thought that-”

“I decided that it would be best for Jaune if he tried to get a head start on his schoolwork so that when the football season started, he wouldn’t get behind like LAST year.” Pyrrha cut in, placing a hand on Jaune’s shoulder. “You remember that.”

Ruby giggled. “Oh yeah! Jaune got so stressed out that on the bus ride to one of the games, he threw up!”

Jaune groaned. “I had hoped you would have forgotten that…”

“You threw up on my dad’s shoes Jaune. He still talks about it sometimes.”

Pyrrha laughed. “I would imagine so. But to prevent anything like that from happening again, we’re going to start studying now. Some of the teachers had already uploaded their syllabus on the school’s webpage, so we’re gonna start going over it. Would you like to join us?”

“Oh yeah! I’m pretty sure Weiss is in the library by now too, so we could all sit together!” 

“Splendid! As my mother always says, the more the merrier!” 

The now trio made their way to the library, catching up and cracking jokes as they searched for their resident Ice Queen. 

As Ruby predicted, Weiss was seated at a table in the middle of the library, her laptop in front of her as she frantically typed away it. She noticed the trio heading to her, giving them a small finger wave.

“Hello, all. I know why Ruby’s here early, but Jaune and Pyrrha? And without the lovely couple?” she joked, her icy blue eyes never leaving the computer screen.

“I’m helping Jaune get ahead before the season starts. And Ren and Nora are probably on their way,” Pyrrha said, taking a seat, and peering over at Weiss’s screen. “Already getting started in college essays? It’s barely the first day Weiss.”

Weiss huffed. “When you’re a Schnee, you need to be on top of your game. Winter is already going to an Ivy League school and wants to join the military, Whitely is basically a mini-me of my Father, and I’m set to take over the family company. I have to be prepared.” She flipped her hair, rolling her eyes. “Besides, the sooner I get this stuff done, the more I can revise it and make it even better.”

Ruby threw one of her arms around Weiss’s shoulders, laughing a little. “Oh Weiss, you perfectionist! I’m sure anything you do will be great.”

Jaune tried (and failed) to stifle a chuckle. “You’re one to talk Ruby. You literally have your whole life planned out to a T.” 

Puffing out her cheeks, Ruby stuck her tongue out at Jaune. “Shush Vomit Boy!”

The four friends studied with one another, making occasion small talk as they did. Eventually, the first bell rang, and they split up, heading to their respective classes. Ruby excitedly bounced towards her class, humming to herself. 

‘And...here we are! Mr. Port’s Algebra 2 class!’ Ruby thought to herself, entering the class to see a few other students already in their seats, milling about. Taking a seat in the second row, Ruby pulled out her planner, a clean spiral notebook, and a pen, sitting up and waiting.

The second bell rang, and the stragglers entered the class, followed by a large man with a very bushy mustache. He shuffled some papers on his desk, then stood in front of the class, clearing his throat. The gentle chatter quieted, and all heads turned to face the teacher. 

“Hello students! I am Mr. Port, and I will be your Algebra 2 teacher this year. Now, I know math has something of a bad reputation with your generation, but I know that together, we can make learning Algebra easy, and maybe even fun. Now,” he said, reaching over to his desk and picking up a stack of papers, “I will be handing out your syllabus for the year. Take one and pass it ba-”

A knock at the classroom door made Mr. Port pause. He handed the papers to a student, gesturing for them to pass out the papers, and headed for the door, opening it. 

Peering around her classmates, Ruby tried to see who was at the door. She caught a glimpse of some silvery-white hair when Mr. Port turned back to the class. “Is there a Ms. Rose in my class?”

Ruby raised her hand. “Ah, good good. Could you join me outside briefly, Ms. Rose?” 

Standing up, Ruby headed to the front of the class, trying not to mind the several pairs of eyes following her to the door. She walked past Mr. Port, who joined her in the hallway. 

“Hello Ms. Rose. I hope you are doing well?” Ruby looked at who spoke to her, her eyes meeting those of Professor Ozpin, the principal of Beacon High School, and a good friend of the family. She instantly felt herself relax a little, at least knowing she wasn’t in some kind of trouble.

“Oh, hey Professor Ozpin! I’m doing good, and you?” 

“I’m doing quite well myself, thank you for asking Ms. Rose. I can imagine your curious as to why I called you out of class.” Ruby nodded, to which Professor Ozpin cleared his throat. “Well, we have a student who is going to be in need of tutoring for this class this year.”

Ruby tilted her head inquisitively. “Tutoring? But it’s the first day of the year.”

Professor Ozpin gave a small chuckle. “Yes, well, this is something of a special case. You see, the student joining your class is actually a year younger than you, but he’s been in homeschooling for the past few years. He’s too ahead to be in the Freshman math class, but he’s still a bit behind to be in your class. So I figured a tutor would help him.” He stepped to the side a bit, revealing a young-looking boy with dark brown hair staring at his feet. Ozpin put a hand on his shoulder. “Ruby, this is my nephew, Oscar Pine. Oscar, this is Ruby Rose, daughter of Mr. Xiao Long, the Biology teacher.” 

Ruby waved, and stuck her hand out to him. “Uh, hey there Oscar! I’m Ruby. It’s nice to meet you!”

Oscar finally looked up at Ruby, and she felt her breath get caught in her chest. His eyes we’re a brilliant blend of hazel, green and yellow. A smattering of freckles danced across his face, and a gentle blush graced his cheeks. He reached out, taking her hand, and gently shaking it. She could feel the calluses on his hands. “H-hi Ruby.”

Ruby blinked, then coughed a little. “U-uh yeah, hi!” She felt her cheeks heat up, and pulled her hand away. “So, let’s go take our seats! I think the seat next to me is free, so we can sit together- uh so it’s easier for me to help you! Yeah!” She laughed nervously, then when to re-enter the classroom. That is until she felt herself being pulled to the ground, with a yelp.

“Oh my gosh, I’m so sorry-”

“No, no it’s okay-”

Ozpin and Mr. Port helped the two teenagers get off the ground. 

“I’m so sorry Ruby. I tripped over my own feet and I accidentally fell on you, I’m so sorry.” Oscar was blushing even more than before, though one could hardly see past his hands, which he covered his face with.

Ruby giggled nervously, waving her hands around. “Ah, it’s fine, don’t worry! Let’s just get inside!” She shrugged, waving to Ozpin, and headed inside.

Taking her seat, Ruby tried to focus on class, but she kept catching herself stealing glances at Oscar. She was probably just curious about him. But that didn’t matter. She needed to focus on school. Not on the cute new kid with the pretty eyes and soft appearance and the cute smile and-

Oh.

Oh no.


	2. Watering

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lunchtime Shenanagins.

Ruby let out a grateful sigh as the lunch bell rang. She had hardly been able to focus during her math course, as she had been too wrapped up in the realization that she found her new classmate pretty cute. Couple in the fact that he was related to the principal of their school, that said principal was also a close family friend and that she was now having to tutor him. Which meant she was going to have to spend a lot of time with this kid. So, she was a bit occupied with her thoughts, to say the least. Lucky for her, it was just the first day and most teachers just went over the syllabus and, if they were feeling chatty, had the kids do ice breakers. 

Exiting her class, Ruby pulled her phone out of her pocket, opening the messaging app.

Ruby: hey im out of class

Ruby: where are you guys gonna be

Fireball: Were gonna be sitting outside by the weird tree we hang out by sometime

Ruby: ^-^b

Once in the cafeteria, Ruby grabbed a plate of some questionable looking food and exited the building, heading to said meeting spot. The meeting spot was one of the first places Yang had shown Ruby when she started attending the high school. It was a big maple tree that curved at the trunk, with a large patch of bark missing. 

At the moment, she could see Yang sitting up against the tree, idly chatting with Blake, who had her head in Yang’s lap. Weiss was sat on the ground next to Pyrrha, the two on their phones comparing photos of something. Not far off was Jaune with Nora and Ren, the trio joking about something or another while they ate their lunch.

“Guys! Hey!” Ruby waved to her friends, joining them. “How are you guys doing?”

“Hey, Rubes! Better, now that I not being woken up at an ungodly hour.” Yang chuckled, then peered at Ruby’s lunch tray. “Oh ew. What is that?” 

“I think it’s supposed to be a chicken patty?” Blake crinkled her nose. “This is why I just bring my own lunch.”

Ruby shrugged, taking a bite of the disk of chicken. “It’s mostly edible, so I’m fine. So, how has your guys’ days been so far?”

Yang shrugged. “Eh, same old stuff. I got Oobleck for history first period, so I’m probably gonna be getting some more sleep in the morning anyways.”

“I thought Oobleck was super strict with people trying to nap in his class?” 

Blake sat up, reaching for her bag. “Not if you actually do well in his class.”

“Hey,” Jaun called, “History isn’t my strong suit!”

“Just like math? And Science?” Questioned Nora, who now had Ren on her back.

“I’m not great at most school subjects, okay?”

“You do preform well in our English courses.” Ren was very calm, especially given where he was seated. Though, he and Nora had grown up together, so one could assume he would be calm even if she was deadlifting him while on a cliff edge. 

“Thank you, Ren.” Jaune threw a dirty look at Nora, then cleared his throat. “So Ruby… how were your classes?”

Ruby sighed, taking a swig from her chocolate milk carton. “It was alright, I guess. But I’ve been voluntold to tutor a kid.”

Weiss perked up. “Oh? But it’s barely the first day? What happened?”

“Ozpin pulled me out of class and told me that his nephew was joining our class, even though he’s only a freshman. He’s too ahead of the normal Freshman class to get anything meaningful of out it, but still will need help catching up to actually have a good shot in our class. And since Oz knows us, and I’m in the class, he figured I could help him.”

“Huh. What’s the kid like?” Yang crossed her arms over her chest. 

“He seems nice enough, I guess?” Ruby felt her face heat up a little. “As we were walking into class, he tripped and stumbled into me, but was super apologetic.” 

“Oh? What’s he look like?” Nora scooched up close to Ruby her eyebrows raised suggestively. 

“U-uh… He’s got dark brown hair, freckles, is kinda tan? His eyes are also this cool hazel yellow-green kinda mix?” Ruby stared down at her lunch tray. “He’s really shy, too. He was wearing this big hoodie…”

“You mean...like that kid?” Weiss pointed at a figure sitting at one of the nearby trees, a notebook open in his lap. Ruby instantly recognized Oscar, shocked. 

“That’s him! What? This is upperclassmen lunch only!”

“Aw, he’s all alone… Let’s go get him!” Nora slipped Ren off her back, hooking her arm around one of Ruby’s and pulling her to her feet. 

“W-what? Wait!”

Yang grabbed Ruby’s other arm, joining Nora in her kidnapping. “Aw come on Ruby! You’re gonna have to tutor him anyway, might as well make nice!”

Oscar looked up at the trio, confusion evident on his face until he saw Ruby in the middle. His cheeks reddened slightly, but he stayed put as the girls arrived in front of him.

“O-oh. Hi Ruby, right? What’s up?”

Ruby laughed awkwardly. “H-hey Oscar! Uh… these are my friends- well I mean Yang is my sister, but she’s still my friend haha! Oh, and uh this is Nora, and uh well…” 

Nora laughed. “Oh Ruby, you nerd! Hi, I’m Nora! Wanna be friends?” She extended her hand to Oscar, who looked bewildered. 

“Excuse me?”

Yang sighed. “We saw you eating alone, and Ruby mentioned you’re new to the school. Do you wanna come to eat lunch with us? We’re all upperclassmen, but we won’t bite.” She paused for a moment. “Well I mean, I think if you try to take Nora’s food away, she’ll actually bite, but other than that you’ll be fine.”

Ruby stared down at her shoes, silently cursing her friend group for being so forward. She could imagine it now, Oscar would say no and every time she saw him from now on would be-

"I'd… really appreciate that, actually."

Ruby's head snapped up. "Wait, really?"

Oscar shrugged, slinging his backpack over one shoulder and getting up. "Well, my aunt told me I should try and make friends, so why look a gift horse in the mouth?" He looked at the three girls nervously. "So, where are we sitting?"

Nora threw her arm over Oscar's shoulders, pointing at the group. "Riiight there. Oh look, some of them are waving!"

"O-oh. That's a big group." 

Yang shrugged, putting her hands behind her head. "Yeah. You get used to it after a while."

The girls escorted Oscar to the group, pointing out who was who to him. 

"That's Ren, he's my boyfriend, he's very quiet, but he's super cool-"

"That's Blake, she's one of my best friends, super sweet-"

"That's Weiss, we didn't get along when we first met-"

"Oh, oh, that's Jaune, he threw up on Ruby and Yang's Dad's shoes once-"

Oscar chuckled nervously. "Wow. You all are quite the mix." 

"Ah, yeah. Really, we all only met through one or another, and all just started hanging out. Like, Blake and Yang met up, and I started hanging out with Weiss, so that's how we all became friends. I met Jaune the day he threw up, and he was already friends with Pyrrha and Nora and Ren." Ruby smiled at Oscar, putting a hand on his shoulder. "I'm sure they'll like you, you seem very sweet." 

Oscar blushed, looking down at his feet. "Ah, t-thanks!"

Realizing what she said, Ruby felt herself blush. "I-uh-I mean-oh hey we're here!" Ruby gestured to Oscar, clearing her throat. "Friends! I would like to introduce you guys to Oscar."

The boy waved weakly. “H-hey.” 

Collectively greeting Oscar, the group came together in a circle, sitting on the ground. Ruby sat next to Oscar, giving him a smile and a thumbs up. The group fell silent, unsure of how to proceed.

“So,” started Ren, looking up at the younger boy, “any reason why you chose to attend Beacon? Ruby did mention that Principal Ozpin is your uncle?”

“Oh yeah. Well, it’s mainly because of that.” Oscar shrugged, fiddling with his thumbs. “I grew up on a farm, with an aunt of mine. So I’ve been homeschooled for a while now. She wanted me to experience the real world now, though, because she said it’s what my mom wanted. Principal Ozpin is my dad’s brother, and he said that it’d be better if I came here, that way if anything happened, he’d be here to help.”

“You grew up on a farm?” Weiss looked Oscar over again.

Oscar nodded. “Yeah. It was alright I guess. We had this really nice chickens... “ He trailed off, blushing. 

“Aww, that’s so cute! Did they have names?” 

“Some of them… There was Clucker, Jeremy, Trudy..”

“That’s pretty cute.”

Oscar waved his hand, progressively becoming redder. “They’re just like any pet, you know..”

Ruby perked up. “Yang and I have a pet! His name is Zwei, and he’s the sweetest little dog ever!” She pulled out her phone, showing off a picture of Ruby and Yang taking a selfie with a small brown and white dog.

“Oh, he’s adorable.”

As the group chatted away, Ruby kept glancing back at Oscar. He looked a little stiff at first but loosened up with the group’s constant joking. It was nice, seeing how everyone welcomed Oscar so seamlessly. It reminded her of own meetings with the various members of the group. 

Eventually, the lunch bell rang, and the group began to disperse. Ruby found herself walking with Oscar, not that she was very opposed.

“Your friends are really nice.” Oscar shifted his backpack on his shoulders.

Ruby nodded. “Yeah. They’re the best. So, how have the rest of your classes been so far?” 

Oscar shrugged. “Alright. Everyone else is mostly freshmen, so when I’m awkward, it’s easy to remember that literally everyone else is awkward too.”

“Oh yeah. Well, this is where we gotta split. I’ll see you later?” Ruby smiled at Oscar, pulling at her backpack straps.

Oscar nodded. “Y-yeah. Bye Ruby.”

“Bye Oscar.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Howdy folks. Thanks for all the Kudos and comments, I really appreciate it. If you can't tell, the most recent RWBY episode prompted me to finish this chapter. I'm scared for the Rosegarden man. The flowers just got their buds!   
> Anyways, I hope you enjoy my attempts at a second chapter!


	3. Sprouts

Flopping down on her bed, Ruby Rose brought an arm over her eyes, sighing. She was finally home from school, and despite having not done much, she felt drained. The school day had dragged on, and she was relieved to be home. 

She had taken the bus home, so she was home alone. Dad had a meeting with Ozpin, and Ruby had seen Yang walking with Blake to her car, so she assumed her sister would appreciate some time alone with Blake. They had all been growing closer as friends since Blake had broken things off with her ex-boyfriend, but one night over summer break Yang had confessed to Ruby that she wanted something more with Blake. 

Getting up, Ruby went over to her desk chair, opening her laptop. She was turning it on when her phone buzzed. Picking it up, Ruby checked the messages.

Fireball: hey rubes, me n blake are grabbing some food and coming to hang out at the house    
Fireball: you want anything?   
Ruby: No thanks, I’m good sis!   
Ruby: Stay Safe!

Ruby thought to herself for a moment, playing with her phone in her hands. If Blake was coming over, she could very well invite Weiss as well. Though Weiss was incredibly busy all the time, she took any opportunity to hang out with her friends. But maybe Yang wanted to only hang out with Blake? May-

Another text message brought Ruby out of her thoughts.

(Unknown Number): Hello?

Ruby stared at her phone for a moment. 

Ruby: Who is this?   
(Unknown Number): Um, this is Oscar. Is this Ruby?   
Ruby: Oscar? How did you get this number?   
(Unknown Number): My uncle got your number from your dad a little bit ago

Sighing once again, Ruby grabbed a sticky note, writing a little note to herself to talk to her dad about giving out her number without checking with her first, then refocused on the conversation.

(Unknown Number): This is Ruby Rose, right?    
(Unknown Number): Or did my uncle get the number wrong?   
Ruby: No, no, this is Ruby.   
Ruby: You’re Oscar Pine?   
(Unknown Number): I mean, last I checked I was   
(Unknown Number): Maybe I should check again

Rolling her eyes, Ruby sent a quick little emoji of a pine tree, then added Oscar to her contacts.

Oscar: A tree?   
Oscar: oh   
Oscar: It’s a pine tree   
Oscar: Very clever Ruby   
Ruby: I know, I’m the most clever   
Ruby: So, what are you up to?   
Oscar: Not much   
Oscar: Actually, can I call you?   
Ruby: Oh, uh sure.

The moment her phone began to ring, Ruby picked it up. “Hello?”

“Oh cool, it really is you. Hey Ruby.”

Ruby scoffed to herself. “Is that really why you called? To make sure I’m me?”

Ruby heard Oscar laugh a little. “Well, that’s not entirely why. I’m not super fond of texting.”

“Really? Why is that?”

“Ah, I didn’t get a phone until recently, and I find that talking leaves a lot less room for misunderstandings like texting can.”

Leaning back in her chair, Ruby put her free arm behind her head. “Oh really? Why not until recently?”

“My aunt didn’t think I needed one, and she was kinda right. I only left the farm with her to run errands and stuff.”

“Right, right, you grew up on a farm. That’s weird, I didn’t think Ozpin was married.”

Oscar laughed, “I don’t think he is either.”

“What? But you said-”

“Ozpin is my uncle from my dad’s side. My aunt is my mom’s sister.”

“Ohhh. Wow, that makes more sense.” Ruby chuckled for a moment. 

“Hehe, yeah…”

There was silence for a moment, but it wasn’t awkward, or at the very least it wasn’t too awkward. She cleared her throat.

“So, you’re staying with Ozpin I assume?”

“Hm? Oh yeah. It’s kinda weird.”

“Weird?”

“Yeah, because I don’t really know him very well. He didn’t visit my aunt and me very often. Only ever on a holiday, and even then he didn’t stay very well.” There was a pause. “My aunt doesn’t like him very much.”

Ruby shrugged. “Ozpin is kinda a weird guy.”

Oscar chuckled a little. “He really is.”

“So, what are you up to?”

“Ah, not much right now. Just hanging out in my room. How about yourself?”

“About the same really. I was going to visit my mom right now.”

“Visit your mom?”

“Mhm. I need to tell her how today went.”

“Ah, I should leave you to it then. I’ll see you tomorrow?”

“Yup. Oh, hey, do you wanna sit with my friends and me at lunch again tomorrow?”

“Sure! It was a lot of fun, hanging out with you guys today.”

Ruby giggled. “Cool! See you tomorrow Oscar! Bye!”

“See you then, Ruby.”

Hanging up, Ruby released a breath she didn’t know she was holding. She pocketed her phone, getting up and exited her room. Heading to the garden, Ruby found her thoughts preoccupied with the boy she had just gotten off the phone with. She wasn’t entirely sure why writing it off as her being curios. Oscar was new, and he was interesting. A surprise relative to longtime Family Friend Ozpin, who Ruby had never thought had any real ties to the world outside of being the principal of her school. 

Either way, Oscar was a sweet kid, and Ruby decided she was dead set on becoming this kid’s friend.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Howdy! Sorry it's been a little since the last update. Life has been not super great, but I'm trying to get back into the swing of things. And after the season finale, I needed to write out some RoseGarden-y goodness. I hope y'all are enjoying, and I'll do my best to keep on writing!

**Author's Note:**

> Wow, I did a thing! I'm more of an artist than a writer, so this isn't gonna be a super great fic, but I hope you all can get some enjoyment out of this.


End file.
